Lexpert highlights Vancouver’s leading mining lawyers based on the results of our extensive yearly peer review. Find out who else made the list of the British Columbia’s most recommended lawyers and law firms on our latest practice area rankings.
In our survey, mining law encompasses all legal issues relating to the mineral exploration, development, production and reclamation cycle, from raw grass roots exploration through to the fabrication and sale of finished metal products, and mine closure and reclamation.
Most frequently recommended mining lawyers
Khaled S. Abdel-Barr
Law firm: Lawson Lundell LLP
Year called to the bar: 1996 (BC); 2012 (NU); 2016 (YK); 2016 (NWT)
Khaled S. Abdel-Barr is a partner at Lawson Lundell LLP. He specializes in mining law, providing legal support for mineral exploration activities and mine development and operations. Abdel-Barr advises on acquisitions and dispositions of mines and mining projects both domestically and around the world, mine financing and on a broad range of mining-related matters. These include the negotiation of earn-in, joint venture, strategic alliance, royalty and streaming agreements and mineral title review. Abdel-Barr also practises corporate and commercial law, advising clients on a broad range of domestic and cross-border transactions and in many different industries, including share and asset acquisitions and divestitures, debt and equity financings and corporate structuring and reorganizations. He advises clients in the energy sector, having significant experience dealing with contractual issues in connection with the purchase and sale of energy and other energy-related transactions.
Brian E. Abraham
Law firm: Dentons Canada LLP
Year called to the bar: 1971 (BC); 1980 (YT)
Brian E. Abraham is a partner at Dentons Canada LLP. He devotes his practice to all phases of mining from exploration, development and production through to reclamation. Abraham provides advice on all forms of title reviews, options, leases, purchase and joint-venture agreements during the early phases of mineral exploration and permitting. He also advises on socioeconomic, engineering, consulting, construction, operator, equity and debt financing, smelter and processing and reclamation agreements. Abraham acts domestically and internationally for junior, mid-sized and major explorers, developers and producers, engineering, mining and geological consultants, individuals, prospectors, organizations, syndicates and public and private financiers. He has also participated in background studies for mineral legislation in British Columbia and other Canadian jurisdictions and has advised foreign governments regarding the preparation and implementation of mining legislation. Abraham advises clients and prepares opinions on complex legal mineral titles issues in BC and litigation involving title matters, right-to-mine, valuation, expropriation matters and Aboriginal issues.
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Gordon R. Chambers
Law firm: Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Year called to the bar: 1987
Gordon R. Chambers is a partner at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP. He advises clients on all aspects of securities law, including mergers and acquisitions, public and private offerings of securities, continuous disclosure and other ongoing regulatory requirements applicable to public companies. Chambers also advises special committees of boards of directors and assists in proxy contests. He acts for a wide range of clients in diverse industries, with a focus on mining companies, including dual-listed issuers. Chambers is a member of the Toronto Stock Exchange Listings advisory committee. He has also served on the securities legal advisory committee of the British Columbia Securities Commission and the former Vancouver Stock Exchange, securities advisory committee.
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Peter J. O’Callaghan
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the bar: 1985
Peter J. O’Callaghan is the managing partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. His practice encompasses all types of mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions, including public and private equity financings, takeover and issuer bids, independent counsel to investment dealers and boards of directors and all regulatory and stock exchange compliance work. O’Callaghan also has extensive experience in share and asset acquisitions and divestitures, shareholders’ and joint venture agreements. He has acted for issuers and underwriters in many mining transactions in Canada, the US, South America, Africa, China and Australia. O’Callaghan is a member of the Canadian Bar Association’s securities law and business law subsections, as well as the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.
Fred R. Pletcher
Law firm: Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG)
Year called to the bar: 1993
Fred R. Pletcher is a partner and the national leader of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP’s mining group. He advises public companies and underwriters in connection with mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, corporate governance, continuous disclosure and general commercial matters. In the mining field, Pletcher acts for Canadian and international mining companies in acquisitions and dispositions of mines, development projects and exploration properties, joint venture and option agreements, royalty and streaming transactions, expropriations and NI 43-101 reporting obligations. He frequently advises boards of directors and special committees of public companies. Pletcher also has considerable experience in the field of shareholder activism. He frequently speaks and publishes papers on corporate, securities and mining issues.
Roger R. Taplin
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the bar: 2003 (BC); 1997 (South Africa)
Roger R. Taplin is a partner and co-leader at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s global mining group. He devotes his practice to mergers and acquisitions and financings in the mining sector. His experience includes advising on significant mining M&A transactions, including friendly and hostile takeover bids, business combinations, share or asset sales and joint ventures. Taplin acts for issuers and underwriters on public and private securities offerings and other financings, including streaming and royalty deals. He also provides general securities regulatory and corporate advice to public companies. Taplin acts for mining companies and their financiers in relation to sizeable mining projects in numerous international jurisdictions.
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Bob J. Wooder
Law firm: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
Year called to the Bar: 1995
Bob J. Wooder is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP’s securities group. He devotes his practice to corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. Wooder advises public and private companies and financial institutions. He has extensive expertise in advising on takeover and issuer bids and private equity financings and as independent counsel to boards of directors. His recent transactions include advising Nevsun Resources in connection with the $1.4-billion hostile takeover bid by Lundin Mining, which resulted in a friendly agreement with Zijin Mining Group to acquire Nevsun for $1.8 billion and acting for Equinox Gold in connection with its $1.5-billion merger with Leagold Mining. Wooder has extensive experience advising on M&As, including advising Aurizon in connection with the hostile bid made by Alamos and advising a Special Committee of Alterra Power in connection with its $1.1-billion acquisition by Innergex Renewable Energy.
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Consistently recommended mining lawyers
Cameron G. Belsher
Law firm: McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Year called to the bar: 1988
Cameron G. Belsher is a partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Vancouver and Toronto offices. Belsher specializes in corporate finance and M&A transactions. His recent experience includes acting as lead counsel on substantial debt restructurings, cross-border and domestic M&A involving public and private companies, proxy contests, initial public offerings, public and private equity and debt financings and joint ventures. Belsher also conducts significant work with pension fund and private equity clients. He is a former adjunct professor at University of British Columbia, Faculty of Law and past member of the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) listings advisory committee.
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Johanna Fipke
Law firm: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year called to the bar: 2005 (BC); 2009 (NT); 2012 (NU)
Johanna Fipke is a partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP’s Vancouver office and a core member of the firm’s global mining group. She regularly advises major and junior mining companies, private equity firms and lenders in the mining space. Fipke often takes on lead advisory roles in multi-million and billion-dollar international transactions. She also counsels clients on corporate and commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, mineral and land tenure, mining due diligence, project permitting and development and project financing. Fipke’s diplomatic and flexible approach in negotiating and closing complex transactions make her a stand-out in the mining industry. Clients appreciate her commitment to giving sensible, commercial solutions to the challenges that arise at all stages of the mining cycle and throughout commercial transactions.
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Andrew J. Gabrielson
Law firm: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year called to the bar: 2005 (BC); 1994 (Western Australia)
Andrew J. Gabrielson is a partner and the co-lead of global mining group at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. He focuses his corporate and commercial practice in Vancouver on the mining, energy and construction industries. Gabrielson advises mining and energy companies on a wide range of transactions relating to exploration, acquisitions and divestitures, development, construction and operations.
Alan J. Hutchison
Law firm: Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
Year called to the bar: 2001
Alan J. Hutchison is a partner at the corporate group and co-chair of the mining group at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. He practises in the areas of corporate finance and securities and corporate and commercial law, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. Hutichison also practises in the area of mining law and specializes in the mining sector. He regularly advises public and private companies and sources of capital in public and private financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, continuous disclosure obligations and regulatory compliance matters.
Georald Ingborg
Law firm: Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Year called to the bar: 1998
Georald Ingborg is a partner at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP’s securities and mergers and acquisition group in Vancouver. He boasts expertise in domestic and international public and private financing (debt and equity), M&A and public company reporting and compliance. Ingborg’s services are highly coveted by issuers and financial institutions, primarily in the mining industry, as well as the technology, biotechnology and industrial sectors. His practice focuses on domestic and international cross-border public offerings and private placements, stock exchange listings and M&A, including takeover bids. Ingborg also advises on complex corporate restructurings, corporate governance matters and as independent counsel to boards of directors.
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Quentin Markin
Law firm: Stikeman Elliott LLP
Year called to the bar: 2000
Quentin Markin is a partner practising securities and corporate law at Stikeman Elliott LLP’s Sydney office and is co-head of the firm’s global mining group. Markin has practised in the firm’s Vancouver office from 2016 to 2018, its Sydney office from 2011 until mid-2016, in the Toronto office from 2006 to 2011 and was seconded to the London office in 2005 to 2006. His practice focuses on corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions for public companies, with a focus on inter-jurisdictional transactions in the mining sector. Markin has significant experience acting for issuers and brokers in public offerings and in mining joint ventures, royalties and project acquisitions, as well as global private placements and transactions involving inter-listed companies, including the ASX in Australia, JSE in South Africa, AIM Market in London and Hong Kong Stock Exchange. He also advises public issuers on regulatory compliance matters, corporate governance and continuous disclosure obligations. Markin provides on-going securities law compliance advice to TSX and TSXV listed issuers. He has acted for issuers based in Australia, Norway, South Africa, Singapore, the UK, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Peru, Chile Belgium, Canada and the US.
Darrell W. Podowski
Law firm: Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Year called to the bar: 1993
Darrell W. Podowski is a partner at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP’s Vancouver office. He advises clients on securities law matters, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and commercial transaction law. Podowski focuses on the mining industry in Canada and internationally, with expertise in Latin America. He was previously in-house counsel to Teck Resources Ltd, a major international mining company, practised law offshore in Bermuda. Prior to his law career, Podowski practiced as an oil and gas exploration geophysicist with Dome Petroleum Ltd and Amoco Canada Petroleum Corp. He also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in geophysics.
Jennifer Traub
Law firm: Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Year called to the bar: 2000 (ON); 2012 (BC)
Jennifer Traub serves as partner at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP. She oversaw the firm’s expansion into British Columbia with the opening of its Vancouver office in 2012. Traub recently sat on the firm’s executive committee for three years and is currently a member of the firm’s corporate responsibility committee and chair of the mining group. She represents both issuers and investment dealers in connection with public and private securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions and other financing transactions. She has extensive experience in the resource sector and has played an integral role in managing some of the largest and most complex corporate finance and M&A deals in the mining industry in Canada. Traub regularly advises public companies regarding general corporate and securities law matters, including continuous disclosure, corporate governance and Canadian stock exchange issues.